Loss
by The Little Duchess
Summary: Enzo and AndrAIa arrive in their first system after losing the Game at the end of 'Game Over'.


**Obligatory Disclaimer**  
Hack is red  
Slash is blue  
I don't own ReBoot  
So please don't sue

**A/N** This is the premier story in my new series, which revolves around Enzo and AndrAIa's life in the Games, the titles of which speak for themselves, I think. This one takes place immediately after _Game Over_. Oh, and I also don't claim to own the Norton Antivirus. Enjoy!

* * *

"Round 2. Fight!"

The User, immediately revived from his loss, moved at AndrAIa at top speed. She moved her arms forward to block herself, but was knocked down from the sheer force of the massive demon. Frisket ran at the User, but was tossed aside as it continued to walked towards a dazed AndrAIa. Before she could even get up again, a kick was delivered to her chest that caused nearly all of her remaining hit points to drop. She gasped in pain and rolled to her side, where the User delivered a kick to the small of her back. She flew across the room, crashing into another character's stained glass window.

Enzo slouched in the corner, breathing shallowly, his hand over his injured eye. He watched helplessly as AndrAIa fought the User with only Frisket. He was losing blood at an alarming rate, so she'd ripped one of the sleeves off of his uniform and made him a makeshift bandage to slow the bleeding, and forbade him to move until the game was won and the Game Cube lifted. He should have been helping her, but at this rate, he'd be unconscious before the final round was done. He was in an incredible amount of pain, but only a small portion of it was his eye.

"Round 3. Fight!"

The score was one-all. The winner of this next round would be the victor. A nauseating déjà-vu washed over him as AndrAIa endured hit after hit from the User, with Frisket unable to get between them. Would they ever get out of this Game? Were they going to be trapped forever in a Game they couldn't win? Enzo feared for the worst as AndrAIa was knocked to the ground, her hit points nearing zero. As she fell, she turned her head toward Enzo and winked. He swallowed hard, what could she be up to?

As the User moved in for his finishing move, AndrAIa leaped to her feet and called for Frisket. Frisket jumped over her and went straight for the User's face, biting down as hard as possible. The User's hit points dropped sharply, and AndrAIa moved in and delivered an icy kick to its midsection. The User stumbled backwards, Frisket still gnawing on his face, where AndrAIa delivered her own finishing move, effectively vaporizing the fiery demon.

"Game over."

Not taking even a moment to savour her victory, AndrAIa immediately ran towards a very pale Enzo, who dropped limply into her arms. She fell to her knees and cradled him to her chest, then began to call for help, while Frisket barked and ran off in various directions, desperately trying to find anyone who could help his master. The area around the Game Cube was still evacuated, so it was some time before anyone came for them. AndrAIa's voice became further and further away, yet he could still see her right there above him. Enzo became vaguely aware of several white-clad figures around them before dropping into offline mode.

"Enzo... Enzo..."

Enzo heard his name being called from somewhere very far away and his first instinct was to run towards it. He found himself in a very dark place, surrounded by an endless nothing, the voice coming at him from all sides. There was an immense throbbing sensation behind his right eye, his head felt as though it might float away, and there was a sharp pain in his chest that told him something must be broken. He felt as though he'd been run over by a swarm of very heavy nulls. There was a warm, soft thing on his left hand, the only pleasant feeling he was currently experiencing. He tried to force his eyes open, but found resistance. He made an exasperated sound that was somewhere between a grunt and a sigh.

"Enzo? Enzo, are you awake?" came the voice again, this time a little more clearly and distinctly coming from his left side. He turned his head towards it and opened his mouth to speak. "No, Enzo, do not try to talk. Just rest."

That sounded like a really good idea. So good, in fact, that Enzo fell back into sleep within a matter of nanoseconds.

He saw a giant fire demon attacking him and he simply couldn't fight back, it was as though he was paralyzed. He was tossed around a the room, slashed, beaten and bruised. There, watching but helpless to fight, he saw Dot crying for him. After beating Enzo around like a ragdoll for what seemed like forever, the fire demon through him over its shoulder and dragged him away from his sister. "Doooooooot!" he called, but she was gone. So was the fire demon, he was alone again. He heard a hideous laugh, and turned to find Megabyte.

"What a pity, boy. You couldn't even win one game," Megabyte remarked.

"It was... it was too hard! The User was too powerful!" Enzo cried.

"Too hard? Pathetic. You're not much of a Guardian, are you? Looks like Bob was wrong about you. What a waste of a key tool..." the virus laughed cruelly. "You may as well have been deleted by that Game, no one even cares that such a pitiful excuse for a Sprite is gone. They're all better off without you!"

"Nooooooo!"

He awoke again in a very scared and sweat-drenched state, there was no voice, no soft thing on his hand. It was still pitch black and he tried again to open his eyes, still finding it to be impossible. He raised his hands to his head and felt some thin gauze wrapped around his forehead and eyes. Of course. His eye. He'd lost that fight, and probably most of his right eye. With his sense of sight temporarily impaired, he started to use his other senses to figure out his new environment. The strong smell of anti-viral medicine told him that he must be in a medical unit of some kind, the silence told him that it must be the night cycle, and the cold told him that he was alone. And that was the last thing he wanted.

His tears began to soak through his bandages as he sobbed for someone to be near him. He wanted so badly for his sister to hold him close and tell him that everything would be okay. But she wouldn't. Enzo was somewhere far away from Mainframe and his family, and there was absolutely no way for him to tell her that he was still alive. And the very though of this made him cry even harder. The saltwater of his tears stung his injured eye, which resulted in juvenile curse words and even further crying.

"Enzo?" came a small, shocked voice from the far side of the room.

He suddenly stopped crying and turned towards the source of the voice. He couldn't see her, but he knew that it must be AndrAIa, no one else could know who he was in this place.

"AndrAIa... I-I..." Enzo sniffled heavily and tried to form words. He wanted to ask her where they were and how long he'd be down for.

He heard the sound of her shoes quickly shuffling across the room to his side. "Oh, Enzo! You are awake!" He felt one hand on the side of his face, and the other grabbing his left hand. "It has been three seconds since your surgery, I thought you would never wake up!" Enzo could hear the tears in her voice. She'd been crying too.

He was still crying, but now he was with her, so the tears slowed. "Where were you...?" He asked softly. "When I woke up... I was alone."

"I'm sorry!" AndrAIa pleaded. "I was just checking on Frisket! They will not let him in the facility!" She took his hand and put in to the side of her face. "I promise I will not leave again..."

Enzo sighed heavily. The sound of AndrAIa's voice and the feeling of her hand on his was incredibly soothing. "Thank you..." he whispered. "Thank you..."

"Enzo, I need to tell you... about your eye..." AndrAIa said very quietly. She took a deep breath and held his face between her hands. "They couldn't save it, Enzo, the wound was too deep..."

"I... I know." Enzo dropped his head. Somehow, yes, he did. He'd known as soon as the wound had been received that it was something very permanent.

They sat in comfortable silence for a while, each one trying to keep the other calm. AndrAIa knew she didn't have to tell Enzo where they were or what had happened, even if his memory was fuzzy, surely he had it figured out by now. She reached out and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, pulling him close. It was this act that made Enzo start crying again. For what seemed like the longest time, he cried into her shoulder, all the while AndrAIa stroked his hair and hummed softly.

"Dot..." Enzo sobbed. "Bob... Mainframe..." He shook with sadness and cried louder. "... I want to go home!"

AndrAIa rubbed his back until the weeping succumbed to small hiccups. He leaned into her chest and became very still. "Guardian..." she cooed.

A series of clicks moved across the room. "Hello, AndrAIa," said an adult male voice.

AndrAIa continued to hold Enzo, but turned towards the voice. "Oh, hello Doctor Norton. Is it day cycle already?"

"Indeed it is." The voice that AndrAIa had identified as Doctor Norton moved closer to Enzo. "Hello, Mister Matrix. My name is Doctor Norton, I'm the one who operated on your eye. You were offline for quite a long time, young man. We were all worried that you wouldn't come back. Especially this one, she was positively distraught." Enzo assumed he was referring to AndrAIa. "But we took very good care of her while you recovered."

Enzo swallowed thickly and turned towards this man. "Um, yes... I..." he fumbled, not knowing what to say. "Thank you, sir."

"No need to thank me, it's my job, and... we don't even know if your prosthetic eye has taken to your system. We're going to be taking those bandages off today." Doctor Norton stood up. "But not just yet. We'll let you get something to eat first."

"Thank you, Doctor Norton," said AndrAIa sweetly.

Enzo heard the doctor exit the room and he turned to AndrAIa. "A prosthetic eye?" he asked angrily. "They gave me a **prosthetic eye**?"

"Yes, they said it was brand new technology! It can do lots of things that normal eyes cannot! You can see through barriers, synchronize it to machines of your choice, target specific objects..." AndrAIa was abnormally perky about this. "I even picked the colour!"

Something snapped in the back of Enzo's mind. Something about a girl his age picking the colour of his eyes didn't seem like a good idea, even under normal circumstances. "What? The colour? What's wrong with my own eye colour?"

"... Oh. I see. I am sorry, Guardian. I was only trying to cheer you up." AndrAIa dropped her head and sighed. "It really is very cool..."

He bit his lip. Perhaps he'd spoke to harshly to her, after all, all she wanted to do was cheer him him. He'd lost his eye, family and home all in an instant, how did she expect to cheer him up with a 'cool prosthetic eye'? He had to give her some credit, or at least try to be as positive as she was managing to be. "AndrAIa... I'm sorry. I'm just... really, really upset right now. And a new eye isn't really going to cheer me up."

"I understand." Enzo could her the smile return to her voice. "I will do my best to make you happy again." AndrAIa leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "I promise."

They talked for what seemed like forever as they waited for Doctor Norton to return. Enzo, naturally, wanted to know the condition of his dog, and AndrAIa assured him that Frisket was healthy and well-fed, if not a little lonely. AndrAIa didn't bother to tie him up outside, knowing that he would come back from wherever his adventures took him. He then wanted to know about the system they'd entered. She told him all about how friendly the people were, how quickly locals had come to their rescue. They were a wonderful bunch of Sprites, and each one paid close attention when AndrAIa told them about the story of her and Enzo. So many people had offered to give them food and boarding until they were ready to return home, however that might be. This system had no ports to the 'Net, so their only option was a Game Cube.

Enzo paused. They had to keep playing games in order to get back home. He was terrified of going back into a Game, which was very out of character, but understandable considering his circumstances. AndrAIa had feared that he wouldn't want to go back that way, but there was no other way. If Enzo ever wanted to get back to Mainframe, the only way would be through a Game.

"I don't know if I can go back in..." He said, finally. "I don't think I'm not strong enough to do this on my own."

AndrAIa shook her head. "But you are not alone, Enzo, you have both Frisket and I to go with you. I can promise that we will both do our best for you..."

Enzo touched the gauze over his right eye. "I... I'm scared," he admitted. "I don't want to go back into the games, because of this... what if we get nullified, AndrAIa?"

"We can play the Games, Guardian, or we can stay here. I will stay with you no matter which you decide." She meant it, too. Enzo could tell by her tone that no matter which path he chose, AndrAIa would be there by his side. Something about that thought alone was incredibly comforting. "Of course, we will wait until you are completely healed. There is no point in entering a Game when we are not fully prepared."

Enzo smiled very slightly. "Thank you."

The door swung open and Doctor Norton walked in. "So," he put down his organizer on the side table, "are we ready to remove the bandages?"

Enzo's face would have lit up if anyone could have seen his eyes. "Yes, please!"

"Perfect." He began pulling the window shades down. "AndrAIa, could you get the light switch, please?"

"Of course, Doctor Norton!" AndrAIa hopped up from her seat and ran to the control panel next to the door. She slowly pushed the switch down, until it reached something one could really only describe as mood lighting. Provided the mood was somewhat depressed. "... Is that enough?"

"It's perfect, thank you." The doctor helped Enzo sit up, adjusting the bed to support his back. "I want you to stay still, Enzo."

"O-okay..." The doctor's heavy formality on this procedure was almost unnerving. Was there really so much of a risk that it didn't work? Enzo took a deep breath and waited. He felt AndrAIa scoop up his hand in hers and lace their fingers together.

The doctor gingerly snipped a portion of the gauze and began to unravel it around Enzo's head. Enzo felt more freedom with each round of the bandages, until they were off. Doctor Norton removed the cotton batting from over Enzo's eyes and said, "Okay, open your eyes."

Very, very slowly, Enzo began to open his eyes. Even with the room's lights considerably dimmed, three seconds without opening his eyes proved to be a more difficult task than he would have thought. Everything was extremely unfocused, and he had to blink a few times before everything became comprehensible. There was an orange blob to his left and a blue one to his right, everything else was in varying shades of grey. He lowered his head and closed his eyes again before turning his head to the left and waiting. Slowly but surely, AndrAIa became clear and visible to him again. He sighed with relief and smiled.

"Hi, AndrAIa," he said finally.

Delight spread across her face as she threw herself forward and hugged Enzo tightly. "You can see! It worked, it worked!" she shouted.

Doctor Norton, who Enzo could now see as a blue-skinned, grey-haired older gentleman, laughed. "Of course he can see, AndrAIa. He still had one good eye regardless."

"Oh... right." Embarrassed, she slid back into her chair and blushed. "Sorry."

The doctor pulled a small light from his pocket and shone it into Enzo's eyes. First, his left, which dilated and contracted normally, then his right. Doctor Norton paused, and shone it again into his right eye, and seemed to be waiting.

Enzo winced from the brightness after a few moments. "Um, Doctor, I don't want to interrupt or anything, but that light is really bright. Could you please check my prosthetic now?"

"I am," said the doctor, smiling and pocketing the light.

"Oh, okay." Enzo nodded, then shook his head a little and gaped at the doctor. "Wait, what?"

"Looks like you took to it just fine, Mister Matrix. It would seem that the operation was a success."

AndrAIa **squealed** with glee. Honest to User, squealed. "Oh, thank you, Doctor Norton! Enzo, you're going to be okay!"

Again, the doctor laughed at AndrAIa over-enthusiastic response. "We still have some other tests to do to confirm it... but it does look very promising for you."

Enzo smiled to himself. "Thank you, Doctor."

Now more than ever, Enzo wished he was in Mainframe and had Dot at his side. As pleased as he was about the success of the operation, he wished that he didn't have to put AndrAIa through this alone. She was clearly elated about the good news, and after spending three seconds worrying by herself, she deserved to have the stress taken off her shoulders. Why couldn't he have just won that game? He just wanted to be home right now...

"Alright, do you think you can stand?" Doctor Norton extended a hand to help Enzo out of bed.

Enzo took the doctor's hand and swung his legs over the side. "Thanks..." he said, pulling himself to his feet.

AndrAIa dashed around to the other side of the bed and took Enzo's hand. "Here, Guardian, let me help you," she chimed.

But now... Enzo was just thankful that he hadn't lost alone. He had AndrAIa, and that was more than anyone could ever ask for. This adorable, faithful little Game Sprite would happily follow him anywhere, including all the way back to Mainframe through the Games. Enzo gripped AndrAIa's hand a little tighter, hoping to express his gratitude on a more subtle level. He was thrilled when she squeezed back.

As Enzo sat in the examination room, Doctor Norton performing various tests on his new eye, he thought what he should be doing next. Clearly, he needed to get into the next game, but would he be recovered enough in time? For that matter, would he even be allowed to go back in? Considering what had happened the last time, would the doctor allow him to check out, knowing what his next move would be? AndrAIa sat patiently out in the waiting room, twiddling her thumbs in a rather care-free manner, which actually bothered him. She was clearly not feeling the same stress he was now, and even that worried him. Enzo's head swam with questions and concerns. This wasn't going to be easy.

"She really loves you, you know?" Doctor Norton said, as he performed a perception test. He flipped one of the switches to change the focus. "Better or worse?"

"Better," Enzo answered. "Who do you mean?"

"AndrAIa, of course. Better or worse?" The doctor pressed another button.

"Better. Of course she loves me, she's my best friend." Enzo shrugged.

"That's what I thought." The doctor smirked. "Last one. Better or worse?"

"Worse. What? What are you getting at?" Enzo moved his head from the apparatus and faced the doctor.

Doctor Norton shook his head. "You'll understand when you're older. Well, looks like everything went through perfectly! We couldn't have hoped for a better result. Once you get used to it, it's going to feel completely natural."

Enzo self-consciously put a hand over his new eye. "Does it... you know, **look** fake? I don't want people to stare..."

"Oh, you haven't seen it yet! I'm so sorry, here, let's get you a mirror!" The doctor gestured for Enzo to follow him into a nearby room. "Here you are."

Cautiously, Enzo stepped in front of the mirror and, fearing what he might see in the mirror, lifted his head in a painstakingly slow manner. Over and over, he told himself that it was just an eye, not an arm or a leg, it was small and chances were no one would notice it. His head was facing fully forward, but his eyes were closed. He opened his left eye first, hoping he could somehow nudge his right eye open if everything look clear. The first thing he noticed were the stitches on his right eyebrow, down his eyelid. He wondered if the patch of missing hair there would ever grow back. He also noticed that there was now very little swelling and minimal scarring, only a bruise now. Everything looked alright, so he forced his right eye open...

"ALPHANUMERIC!"

AndrAIa and several nurses heard a shout from within the examination room. The nurses exchanged a confused look and moved on with their work. Only AndrAIa knew that this must be truly good news. She giggled merrily to herself and waited for Enzo to come out, which was exactly two nanoseconds later.

"AndrAIa! Did you see my eye? It's so cool! Look! Look, it can fix onto targets, and..." He mouth kept moving, but AndrAIa stopped caring about what was coming out. Enzo was genuinely happy about his new eye, as she had hoped he would be. AndrAIa just kept on smiling and nodding, and watching Enzo move around randomly. Ha ha, look, he's jumping around and shooting his fingers like a gun, what a wonderful, silly boy.

"I am so happy for you!" AndrAIa said at last when it seemed like Enzo was done hopping around on the furniture.

Enzo, now standing on the arm of a couch, bounced on the balls of feet, in a half-hearted attempted to stay still. He was over the moon about his 'alphanumeric' new eye, this much was obvious, and suddenly everything that had been making him sad was unimportant. Now he had a ridiculous amount of energy and all he wanted to do was show it off. "Are you watching, AndrAIa? Look, look!"

AndrAIa giggled again. "Yes, Enzo, I am watching!"

Enzo, for no readily apparent reason, back-flipped off of the sofa he was standing on and posed dramatically with his hands on his hips.

"Looks like the patient is going to be just fine." Doctor Norton chuckled. "You might even be able to catch the next Game Cube out of here."

At that moment, Games had been the furthest thing from his mind. Dropping his hands and looking down, Enzo chewed his lip. "I..."

"Doctor Norton..." AndrAIa said, furrowing her eyebrows. "I do not think you-"

"No, AndrAIa, it's okay," Enzo said. "We're going to have to go back in sometime."

"Are you sure? We can stay here a little longer, until you are well..."

"Yeah. I am. We need to get back to Mainframe before it's too late." Enzo crossed his arms and nodded in the doctor's direction. "I know I can never thank you enough, Doc, but please know you've really helped me. Us."

"It was my pleasure, Enzo, really. I only wish I could have helped you two get home." Doctor Norton grinned. "But I'll always be here for you, if you ever need me. I'm pulling for you!"

"Thank you, really." Enzo shook his hand.

AndrAIa jumped up to the Doctor's shoulders and hugged him. "Thank you so much!"

"Warning: incoming game."

Enzo and AndrAIa turned to one another, unsure of their next move.

"Looks like you two need to get going," said the doctor, gesturing to the now purplish sky.

AndrAIa grabbed Enzo's hand. "Are you ready, Guardian?"

"I... am. Let's go!" They made for the door, but he turned around one last time. "Thank you, Doctor."

Doctor Norton waved goodbye as the two young Sprites ran for the descending Game Cube. He watched through the window as they picked up their trouble-making dog and ran, holding hands all the while. He didn't know where they were headed next, what obstacles they might face, or how long they would be travelling, all he could do was hope they both made it home safely.


End file.
